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The grandson of footballing legend Bill Shankly has been convicted of public order offences after being involved in fighting with Manchester City fans at last month’s Capital One Cup final.

Christopher Shankly-Carline, who runs the Shankly Foundation charity and is a director of the Shankly Hotel, today exclusively contacted the ECHO to apologise over his behaviour after being arrested outside Wembley Stadium before the match had even begun.

Carline, of West Derby, was convicted with two public order offences at Hendon Magistrates Court on Tuesday of last week.

The convictions, which come under section 5 and 4a of the public order act are issued when a person’s behaviour or language is deemed to be ‘threatening or abusive with the intention or awareness with intent to cause and thereby causing harassment, alarm or distress.’

He is required to observe a four-week curfew, keeping him indoors after 8pm and has also been ordered to wear a tag but did not receive a match banning order.

The 34-year-old claims he was protecting his friend after ‘banter’ with some Manchester City fans descended into violence, but says he ‘did what his grandad would have done.’

He said: “We were travelling into the ground and there was banter happening between rival fans. Sadly the banter descended into more serious name calling between a friend in our group and a large group of City fans.

“It turned ugly, seven or eight men started being violent towards my friend, I was worried for his safety so I made the decision to try and intervene.

“My friend was injured, he had a number of marks on his back and on his neck. He had a hooded top on and in the melee he had ended up with his top pulled over his head so he couldn’t see.”

After seeing the events unfold, Christopher says he became involved in the incident to defend his friend.